Shag rug tool

ABSTRACT

A tool for cleaning and straightening the elongated pile of a shag rug which comprises an assembly of elongated resilient members mounted adjacent the air intake opening of a vacuum cleaner nozzle which have limited pivotal movement about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the air intake opening of the vacuum cleaner nozzle with the lower end of each member being maintained in resilient engagement with the elongated pile of the shag rug to effect straightening the pile when the nozzle is moved in contact with the shag rug.

United States Patent Lagerstrom 51 Aug. 22, 1972 [54] SHAG RUG TOOL [72] Inventor: Robert C. Lagerstrom, Anderson,

[73] Assignee: National Union Electric Corporation, Stamford, Conn.

[22] Filed: Aug. 17, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 64,408

[52] US. Cl. ..15/369, 15/142, 15/246, 15/365, 15/371, 15/402 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 9/06 [58] Field of Search ..15/364, 368, 369, 371, 393, 15/396, 402, 142, 246

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,717,409 9/1955 Draudt ..15/402 X Primary Examiner-Walter A. Scheel Assistant Examiner-C. K. Moore Att0rneyl-libben, Noyes & Bicknell 5 7] ABSTRACT A tool for cleaning and straightening the elongated pile of a shag rug which comprises an assembly of elongated resilient members mounted adjacent the air intake opening of a vacuum cleaner nozzle which have limited pivotal movement about an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the air intake opening of the vacuum cleaner nozzle with the lower end of each member being maintained in resilient engagement with the elongated pile of the shag rug to effect straightening the pile when the nozzle is moved in contact with the shag rug.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SHAG RUG Tool.

The present invention relates generally to apparatus for use with a vacuum cleaner structure and more particularly to an improved assembly for use in vacuuming rugs with elongated nap, particularly shag-type rugs having nap formed of elongated strands.

When a shag-type rug is walked on, the long stringy pile formed of elongated strands are matted down and the strands become twisted, giving the carpet an undesirable appearance. Also, dirt becomes imbedded in the long pile and is not pulled out by the vacuum cleaner suction nozzle alone, because the dirt is matted under the strands of the rug.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an assembly for use with a vacuum cleaner nozzle which improves the appearance of a rug having elongated nap.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved assembly for use with a vacuum cleaner suction nozzle which straightens and fluffs the long nap of a shag-type rug.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved assembly for use with a vacuum cleaner nozzle which improves the cleaning action of a vacuum cleaner nozzle on shag-type rugs.

Other objects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and claims when read in'conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 1 in one operating position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the assembly of FIG. 1 in another operating position; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the assembly of FIG. 1.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawing, an assembly 70 of the fingers 71 on the nozzle 72 is adapted to engage and clean elongated nap of a rug, such as the elongated strands of a shag-type rug. The nozzle 72 can be of any suitabledesign, including that of an upright vacuum cleaner, but which in the form illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 comprises a nozzle of a tank-type vacuum cleaner having a relatively flat rectangular elongated housing section 73, defined by generally parallel spaced front and rear walls 74, 75 lying in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the lower surface of the suction nozzle 72, with the walls 74, 75 being connected by oppositely disposed end walls 76, 77 and a generally flat upper wall 78. The lower surface of the nozzle 72 lies substantially in a single horizontal plane and provides a substantially unobstructed air inlet passage. At about the midpoint of the rear wall 75 an enlarged section is provided to form a tubular coupling section 79 which is adapted to form a detachable engagement with a tubular handle section 80 operatively connecting with the air inlet passage of the nozzle 72 with a source of vacuum (not shown).

Each of the resilient fingers 71 can be formed or molded of resilient plastic material or shaped from a strip of spring steel or the like resilient material. In the fonn illustrated in FIGS. l-4, the fingers 71 are formed of a strip of spring steel having a forwardly and downwardly extending convex portion 90 and a concave portion 91 extending from the upper end of the depending portion which is adapted to fonn a resilient pivotal engagement about a support pin or rod 86. Tubular sections or spacers 87 are mounted on rod 86 between adjacent fingers 71. The upper end of the concave portion 91 has a rearwardly and downwardly depending section 92, the lower end of which is adapted to engage an upper surface portion 78 of the suction nozzle 72 when the rake-like member is pivotally moved on the rod 86 to limit the pivotal movement of the fingers 71, as is best shown in FIG. 11 of the drawing.

The assembly 70 of resilient fingers 71 is adapted for quick detachable mounting on the nozzle 72 by providing resilient spring clip means 93 which extend generally rearwardly from adjacent the opposite end portions of the support rod 86 having a length substantially the length of the front wall of the nozzle 72. The spring clip means 93 have the forwardends thereof secured to the support rod 86 with a short vertical section 95 extending downwardly from the upper end thereof with spaced vertically disposed shoulders 96, 97 formed directly below section 95 which are adapted to engage the upper and lower edges, respectively, of

the front wall 74 of the nozzle 72. A short downwardly and rearwardly extending section 98 is formed in the resilient clips below the shoulder 97 with an elongated support section 99 extending rearwardly and slightly upwardly from the lower end of section 98 and which terminates in an inwardly bent U-shaped section forming spaced shoulder portions 100, 101 adapted to resiliently engage the lower and upper edges, respectively, of the rear wall 75 of the nozzle 72. An upwardly and rearwardly extending finger engageable portion 103 is formed at the end of the said U-shaped section which facilitates mounting and removing the spring clip means 93 on the nozzle 72.

In mounting the assembly 70 on the nozzle 72, the shoulder portions 96, 97 of the spring clip means 93 are preferably first placed in contact with the upper and lower transversely extending edges of the front wall 74, and the assembly 70 is rotated about the front wall 74 while applying a generally downwardly and outwardly pressure on the finger engageable portion 103 to separate the rear shoulder portions 100, 101 a greater distance from the front shoulder portions 96, 97 than exists in their normal position so that the shoulders 100, 101 can be readily moved over the upper and lower transversely extending edges of the rear wall 75. When pressure on the end section 103 of the spring clip means 93 is released, the shoulder portions 100, 101 resiliently engage the rear wall 75 and retains the assembly 70 in quick detachable engagement with the nozzle 72. The assembly 70 is also preferably maintained by the spring clip means 93 in a predetermined position relative to a shag rug 105, as the support sections 99 serve as runners for the nozzle 72, raising the foreward edge of the nozzle 72 slightly higher than the trailing edge thereof.

In operating the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 with the assembly 70 mounted on the nozzle 72 and with the nozzle 72 positioned relative to a shag rug 105 as shown in FIGS. 10-11, the fingers 71 are each independently pivotally moved counterclockwise as the nozzle 72 is moved forwardly (FIG. 2), until the lower end portion of the fingers 71 point in a generally rearwardly direction with the outer lower ends thereof contacting the upper surface of the rug 105 permitting easy forward movement of the nozzle 72 over the surface of the rug 105, as best shown in FIG. 2. When the nozzle 72 is moved rearwardly (FIG. 3), the fingers 71 are each independently pivotally moved clockwise on the support rod 86 until the lower end of the depending section 92 of the fingers 71 engages the upper surface portion 78 of the nozzle 72, preventing further clockwise pivotal movement relative to the support rod 86. On further rearward movement of the nozzle 72 the lower end of each of the resilient fingers 71 yieldably engage the elongated nap of the shag rug 105, pulling the strands upwardly in the general direction of the movement of the nozzle 72 until the resilient fingers 71 are moved upwardly by the tension exerted between the strands and the fingers 71, releasing the strands so that the strands are fluffed and raised to a generally upwardly extending position, as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawing. The assembly 70 of fingers 71 mounted on the nozzle 72 thus engages the elongated nap of a shag rug, causing the strands thereof to be fluffed and arranged generally uniformly, while permitting air being drawn in between the strands to remove dirt imbedded therein more readily.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the assembly of rake-like fingers and the individual rake fingers can be mounted in an operative relationship with a nozzle of any type of cleaner device, including the tank-type vacuum cleaner nozzle shownor an upright vacuum cleaner which employs a rotating brush as well as air to clean, and by means other than those shown herein, such as carpet cleaners utilizing only a rotating brush. it should be understood that the present invention covers all such modifications falling within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A tool for a rug having elongated nap comprising; an assembly of spaced elongated resilient finger members adapted to be operatively associated with a cleaner nozzle, said resilient finger members normally extending outwardly and downwardly relative to the lower surface of said nozzle along substantially the length of said nozzle, each of said resilient finger mem bers being pivotally movable in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the lower surface of said nozzle about an axis lying in a plane substantially parallel to said plane with the upwardly pivotal movement of each said finger member being limited, the outer end portions of said finger members, being flexed outwardly away from said nozzle a distance greater than normal with the end of each said finger member being maintained in resilient engagement with said rug to effect straightening of said elongated nap when said nozzle is moved in one longitudinal direction along said rug, and said finger members being pivotally movable downwardly and inwardly toward said nozzle until said outer end portions thereof extend in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the lower surface of said nozzle with the said ends of said finger members being maintained out of resilient engagement with the surface of said rug when said nozzle is moved in the opposite longitudinal direction along said rug; whereby the elonf rigilidlfial filigcifiii w li%%% dn%i2 l? io32 reciprocably longitudinally over the surface of said rug.

2. A tool as in claim 1, wherein each said finger member is mounted for independent pivotal movement.

3. A tool as in claim 1, wherein each of said finger member has an abutment surface for engaging a sur face of said nozzle which limits upwardly pivotal movement of said finger members and maintains said finger members in resilient engagement with said rug.

4. A tool as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said finger members are pivotally mounted on an axle member detachably supported on said nozzle.

5. A tool as in claim 4, wherein said axle member is supported by spaced spring means which resiliently detachably engage said nozzle.

6. A tool as in claim 5, wherein said spring means comprises a support section adjacent the opposite ends of said axle member which extends below the plane of said lower surface of said nozzle when said springmeans is operatively mounted on said nozzle with said support section slidably supporting said nozzle on said rug with a transverse edge of said nozzle which is proximate to said finger members being elevated above the surface of said rug a greater distance than the transverse edge of said nozzle which is spaced from said finger members. 

1. A tool for a rug having elongated nap comprising; an assembly of spaced elongated resilient finger members adapted to be operatively associated with a cleaner nozzle, said resilient finger members normally extending outwardly and downwardly relative to the lower surface of said nozzle along substantially the length of said nozzle, each of said resilient finger members being pivotally movable in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the lower surface of said nozzle about an axis lying in a plane substantially parallel to said plane with the upwardly pivotal movement of each said finger member being limited, the outer end portions of said finger members being flexed outwardly away from said nozzle a distance greater than normal with the end of each said finger member being maintained in resilient engagement with said rug to effect straightening of said elongated nap when said nozzle is moved in one longitudinal direction along said rug, and said finger members being pivotally movable downwardly and inwardly toward said nozzle until said outer end portions thereof extend in a plane generally parallel to the plane of the lower surface of said nozzle with the said ends of said finger members being maintained out of resilient engagement with the surface of said rug when said nozzle is moved in the opposite longitudinal direction along said rug; whereby the elongated nap of said rug is arranged in substantially one longitudinal direction when said nozzle is moved reciprocably longitudinally over the surface of said rug.
 2. A tool as in claim 1, wherein each said finger member is mounted for independent pivotal movement.
 3. A tool as in claim 1, wherein each of said finger member has an abutment surface for engaging a surface of said nozzle which limits upwardly pivotal movement of said finger members and maintains said finger members in resilient engagement with said rug.
 4. A tool as in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said finger members are pivotally mounted on an axle member detachably supported on said nozzle.
 5. A tool as in claim 4, wherein said axle member is supported by spaced spring means which resiliently detachably engage said nozzle.
 6. A tool as in claim 5, wherein said spring means comprises a support section adjacent the opposite ends of said axle member which extends below the plane of said lower surface of said nozzle when said spring means is operatively mounted on said nozzle with said Support section slidably supporting said nozzle on said rug with a transverse edge of said nozzle which is proximate to said finger members being elevated above the surface of said rug a greater distance than the transverse edge of said nozzle which is spaced from said finger members. 